Meddling for Experts: the Marauders Edition
by Miss Aircastle
Summary: In which the Marauders, convinced James finally has a chance, decide to meddle on his behalf in the everlasting battle for Lily's heart. Which, of course, only makes things worse. As told by Sirius, Remus, James and Lily.
1. A Little Push

**A/N:** So even though I promised myself I wouldn't do anything multi-chaptered - because procrastination - I'm gonna try anyway. This is going to be about 4 or 5 chapters I think.

Another L/J get-together for your enjoyment, as told by 3 out of 4 Marauders.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A Little Push**

Love is stupid.

I'm serious here (this is a fabulous joke, you'll understand in a moment): I do not understand what all the fuss is about. People tend to do it wrong, or make themselves look like idiots and if they – by some Merlinian miracle – don't, they end up with a broken heart. I'm telling you, it's not worth the trouble.

My advice? Keep it simple. Find someone you find attractive, enjoy a carefree and sizzling two weeks with them and that is it. Run like the wind before things become complicated. Repeat that as many times as you want. Works like a charm for me.

Who am I? Excellent question.

My name is Sirius Black. Seventh Year Gryffindor, Marauder, smartest student in Hogwarts - _Evans and Moony don't count, they study, that's cheating. And I suppose Prongs could give me a run for my money on a good day, but he's usually moping about love, so no competition there_. Continuing on: ladies killer extraordinaire, top-notch Beater, life and soul of any party and basically the guy all the girls want and all the lads want to be.

Nice to meet you.

The funny thing is: this is story is not about me. Yeah, I know, it's a crime against humanity. No, no, no need for tears, of course I will be heavily featured in this, as narrator and matchmaker.

Because you see, this story is about the biggest idiot in the love area to ever grace this planet: James Potter. Shakespeare himself couldn't have written a bigger sap if he tried – and this the creator of Romeo we're talking about. Good ol' Will would go "Romeo, _who_?" if he'd ever met James.

Now, before you start thinking badly about my best friend: don't. Because apart from this tiny little problem, he is actually a quite spiffin' chap. I mean the man is Marauder, Quidditch Captain, Head Boy, runner-up for smartest student, also very capable with the whole _life-and-soul-business_ and on top of all of that he has that 'ideal son in law' thing happening, which draws in birds like you wouldn't believe. I think it's the glasses. So generally speaking, Prongs has it going on. But that bloody wanker just _had_ to fall head over arse for the most impossible witch in all creation. Lily Evans.

The one bird that he cannot win over with his usual charm.  
The one bird that calls him 'arrogant toerag' instead of swooning like the rest of the girls.  
The one bird that insists on challenging him everywhere he goes.

He claims he likes that, that she 'keeps him on his toes', yadda yadda. I get tired just thinking about it. No clue as to what's going on in his head. Moony says it has something to do with 'opposites attract' and 'maturing', which just goes to show that I'm in dire need for new, less geeky and/or whiny friends. Honestly, the people I put up with.

Anyway.

I like you, my dear reader, so I'm going to spare you James' and Lily's history. It's too long, too awkward, there's way too many hexes and I can summarize it for you in three words: _she hated him._ And yes, it really was that bad. Now, considering I'm on Team Potter, I should mention that she wasn't completely right all the time. There were times were she would shut him down, just because she could. Not fair, I'm sure you understand.

Thankfully for him, and for entire Hogwarts, that is all in the past now. She, forced to work with him as Heads, realised he wasn't that bad. He claims he's given up, and is just happy they're friends now.

Good thing he has a wonderful best friend who knows when he's lying through his teeth.

(It's me.)

He's not fooling anyone, apart from Evans. This shouldn't have to be a problem, until I realised _she's_ fancying _him_ as well! I was observing them sitting together one afternoon and she was doing the girl thing. You know, the batting of the eyes, laughing about everything he said, touching his arm; all classic signs. But this is Evans we're talking about, so she hid with a lot of eye rolls and pointed looks.

I considered letting her enjoy unrequited fancying for a while, but James is my brother. Only when I hinted at what I saw, he didn't believe me. Can't blame him, after so many rejections (32, but who's counting). So now they're both moping around in silence, both too scared to take a risk.

It became obvious to me that they would keep circling around each other until the end of time if something didn't change drastically. Now, drastic change happens to be a speciality of mine, especially when it needs to happen to other people.

And so, from the goodness of my heart, I decided to meddle. All they needed was a little push...

* * *

"…and if you're both in position at 4 o'clock sharp, the plan will run along smoothly and everybody will be happy and in love before dinner."

With a final sweep of my wand, the little figurines on the map moved into place. Grinning, I looked up at Moony and Wormtail. I knew the plan was brilliant, so I was waiting for the impressive looks on their faces.

Wormtail was grinning, sure enough. Reliable lad, that one. But Moony was still frowning, staring at the map, tapping with his fingers on his face. After some silence, he finally looked up.

"I've got to say Padfoot, the plan is…"

"Brilliant?"

"Not exactly."

"Inspired?"

"Nope."

"Simply delightful?"

Remus sighed. "Over the top. I was going to say _over the top,_ Sirius."

"Of course it's over the top, Moony. We have to get Prongs and Evans together, which in itself is a trick and a half. But James will kill us if we do it with one of your subtle little plans."

"I figure he's got a point, Remus." Wormtail chimed in. "If he can't tell a great story later on, to his 300 red headed grandchildren, he is not going to be amused." I held up my hand for a high five, but Remus just rolled his eyes.

"You do realise that even if this plan goes as smoothly as you say it will – which it won't by the way, because I can easily think of three ways this will equal disaster – Prongs will kill us either way for meddling?"

 _He had a point there of course. Over the years, the plans we other Marauders executed for our love struck friend have been…alright I won't lie, a bit of a failure. So after the 14_ _th_ _time James got hexed something horrid because of us, he explicitly forbade us to meddle._

I waved away his concerns. "A minor detail. Can't you see our dear friend is stumbling in the dark? Without our help, the poor bugger will never get his woman!"

"And we're doing this because you concluded that Lily fancies James now, based on _one_ conversation you saw them have?"

"Correct." When he was still looking doubtful, I slung an arm around his shoulders. "Come ooooon Moony. I know that you only have love for books and exams, but can you please try to see the romance of all this? We've tried so many times and now we've actually got a chance of succeeding! Think of the fame, the glory!"

"And you're certain we're doing this for James?" Remus asked, but I could see a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"That goes without saying." I declared loftily. Victory was close, I could almost smell it. "And as an added bonus, it will be so much fun. We'll need all of our combined skills: your bookish smartness, Wormtails' stealth and me…well, for everything else."

"Of course." Remus said drily. "Were would we be without you and your modesty, Pads."

He was looking at me all disapprovingly, but I'd been around Remus Lupin and his looks for a long time. In the dark corners of his heart, he _wanted_ to do this. So I played my master card. "Quit stalling Lupin, are you in or not? Just know that all the terrible things that are apparently going to happen with all the holes in my plan, will be on your head."

"I thought you would say that." Remus groaned, resignation leaking from his voice. He cast his eyes to the ceiling, probably praying for salvation, but then he squared his shoulders and grabbed his wand. "Right. Let's fix this ridiculous plan of yours."


	2. The Devil's In The Details

**A/N:** Here's chapter 2 already! Thankfully for y'all, I'm having way too much fun with this, so that hurries things along quite nicely.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Devil's In The Details**

"Fireworks?"

"Check."

"Rose petal shower?"

"Locked and loaded."

"First Years choir?"

"Practising their harmonies on "Love Me Tender" in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

"Did they stop to think about the unwanted vocal singer they might get there?"

"I don't think that's our biggest worry right now, Sirius."

I frowned down at the mirror which showed about a third of Remus' face. He and Peter were using James' for the occasion, so we'd be able to communicate while the plan was unfolding.

"Lupin, do I need to remind you of the failure that was April Fools' three years ago? The devil's in the details, my friend. Mad Myrtle could decide the song is an attack on her non-existent social life and scare our angelic voices into silence. The whole plan would collapse."

"Fair point" Remus conceded "I'll send Wormtail to check when he's done kidnapping Mrs Norris. That'll keep Filch out of our hair for some time."

"Excellent thinking, soldier. I think we're set. Let the fun begin."

"Roger that. They're coming your way Padfoot, stay alert."

"Right. I'll keep you on stand-by."

Hastily, I cast a Sticking Charm, so the mirror would stay on the sleeve of my robes. A Cloaking Charm after that, to make sure no one could see it. I looked down at my feet to make sure I was completely invisible, covered by James' Cloak. The wheels were turning, the players moved into place, everything was coming together nicely. In these last moments of quiet I always felt as mighty as Merlin himself. Of course, things could go wrong at any given time, but that was the risk of pranking. Or matchmaking, in this particular case.

I heard voices coming down the corridor, so I jumped out of the way. I remembered to cast a Silencing Charm around myself, knowing James would be suspicious of every little sound. It was Marauder against Marauder now and that required my best game.

James and Lily had turned the corner and were strolling down my corridor, talking and laughing and basically having a good time.

"- the look on their faces!" Evans snorted "I could barely keep my stern Head Girl face in place. It was the combination of bewilderment and panic in his eyes, plus the added effect of his pants on his knees that almost did me in, I think."

Next to her, James chuckled, casually strolling. "Well, I was a bit apprehensive myself, until I realised that they looked exactly like Peter when he's late for breakfast again." To demonstrate his point, he hopped around on one foot, a panicked expression on his face.

I couldn't help laugh along with Evans, knowing they couldn't hear me.

"Oi! I resent that!" Pete hissed, over Remus' chuckles.

"Oh come on Wormtail, you know it's true." I whispered back, even though I knew the Silencing Charm was intact. And as if on cue, James looked over his shoulder mid-sentence.

"What is it?" Lily asked.

"Hm? Oh nothing?" Prongs answered absentmindedly, narrowing his eyes at a spot just behind me. "Just felt like someone was watching us."

"Prongs is a heftier opponent than I thought he would be. I need to focus, so shut up and listen." I hissed in my sleeve before catching up with the Heads duo again.

Evans had produced some sort of paper, which she was now handing to James.

"Here, have a look at this, will you? I made a quick first draft of the Patrol schedule for next month."

"When did you make this?" James asked, whilst peering down at the schedule.

"During Charms, when you poor buggers were still struggling with that advanced Cheering charm."

"Swot" James grumbled in answer to her smug grin. After a moment he looked up from the parchment. "Evans, Evans, it's all wrong. You really should've waited until I had time to help you."

She frowned at his condescending grin. "What do you mean 'all wrong'? I think it's fair, I even compared it to last month's schedule to make sure everyone had at least _one_ late shift."

"Yes and that's where you went wrong. Look at this: how is it that we have _three_ Friday night shifts, when you could've easily given those to the Slytherin Prefects?"

 _Men of the earth, halt your meaningless daily activities to acknowledge our brother who laughs in the face of danger._

 _His death – which is coming for him as we speak – shall be gory, but glorious._

 _He shall be honoured forever and ever as the man who wasn't afraid to make inappropriate jokes when the time called for it._

 _Goderic Gryffindor in person shall welcome him to the everlasting feast in the afterlife._

 _Men of the earth, say it with me now:_

 _All hail James Potter, bravest man on this planet._

I ducked for cover.

I had seen Lily Evans in all her furious, hexing glory, and if I wasn't careful, I would be collateral damage. There was no salvation for Prongs, he was too close to the fire. So, hiding behind an armour, mentally writing my speech for James' funeral, I waited for the explosion.

It didn't come.

After a few bated breaths, I realised the castle was still standing, so I dared peek around my knight in shining armour. Just in time to see Evans hit James on the arm, _grinning._

"Very funny, James" She said "Why don't you just admit that I'm a superior schedule-maker?"

"Not on your life, Evans." James answered, grinning as well. They started walking again, and it was only because I've been around Prongs for years on end that I could see the relief leaking from him.

"Sirius, did he just get away with a totally inappropriate joke?" Remus asked, breaking the radio silence.

"Yeah and did she just call him 'James'? Peter added.

"Indeed, my friends" I confirmed solemnly. "You know what this means."

"You were right." The amazement in Remus' voice was clear. "She fancies him."

Peter voiced what we were all thinking. "Bloody hell. He actually did it."

We all let that sink in for a few moments, until Remus snapped out of it first.

"All the more reason to make this happen. Padfoot, run like the wind and do your bit, otherwise we'll screw up the timing. Wormtail will worry about the trajectory of all things fireworks and roses, and I'll double-check the rest."

"Right you are Moony. Let's go men, let's make this happen."

And with that, I transfigured the Cloak so it would fit in my pocket and took off. James and Lily had a head start, but a bit of sprinting and three secret corridors took care of that. They were on their way to dinner, but I needed them to go in another direction, the First floor entrance hall to be exact.

"Prongs, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you." I cranked the urgency in my voice up when I reached them.

"What is it, Padfoot?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. I knew he was thinking about why I hadn't just used the Map. So using the sign signals we developed over the years I signalled _Moony has the Map._ Which was true. Understanding dawned in his eyes and he grinned.

"Hello Evans" I greeted the redhead like I hadn't been spying on her just a few minutes ago "You're looking especially lovely today."

"Why, thank you Black" She said, raising an eyebrow. "So, who did you kill?"

I grinned, and slung an arm around both of them, while steering them gently in another direction.

"No one yet Evans, but the day is still young." I winked, pretending not to notice that James was looking mightily pissed off.

"Why have you been looking for me, Sirius?" He asked "And why are we going this way? I didn't think I would ever have to tell _you_ when and where dinner is served."

"True. But it came to my ears that several bulky and stupid Sixth Years, who shall remain unnamed, have made plans to bully a specific Third Year, who shall also remain unnamed, out of his Hogsmeade Galleons."

"Crab and Goyle" James guessed.

"And little Teddy Addison" Lily chimed in.

"Well done, you two. I can see the students of Hogwarts are safe with such keen Head students around." Both Lily and James rolled their eyes at me, which was equal parts funny and disturbing.

"Stop messing around Sirius" James snapped, looking all serious (hehe) and determinated. "Tell us where they are." Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a flash of surprise on Lily's face at his comment.

 _That's right Lily dear, the boy is all grown up now._

"First floor, entrance hall." I informed them, watching contently as they simultaneously grabbed their wands and ran off. Folding my hands behind my head, I leisurely strolled down the corridor.

Everything was going splendidly. False modesty aside, it was a ruddy brilliant idea to play into Prongs' newfound responsibility, and Evans' weakness for said responsibility.

I turned the corner, watching the Dynamic Duo race up the stairs, to where everything was about to go down. I saw an almost invisible spell hit James in the back. It was called the 'Date Emergency #5' and was created for people who needed emergency freshness. It cleaned your clothes, reapplied your aftershave and fixed your breath – like you just brushed your teeth. I looked to the right, where I knew Moony was hiding.

 _Nice work_ I signalled. High and mighty with the success we were about to achieve, I suspected to get a grin, or a thumbs up, anything. But instead, I saw all colour drain from Remus' face, saw him jump up and yell something that sounded like 'PETE STOP THAT'S NOT THE –'.

I whipped around to where James, Lily and the Slytherins should be, just in time to see everything go to hell.


	3. Damage Control

**A/N: So here we are, chapter 3! It took me longer to write this than I wanted to, but the prank was a bit of hurdle. Turns out I _really_ suck at thinking up one of them. Next time I need one, I'm asking you lot.**

 **Oh and that reminds me. Darling people who bothered to write a review: thank you so much! It really makes me a happy lass to know that you like what I'm writing enough to tell me so.**

 **Anyway. This one is told by the lovely Remus, and boy, does he have a lot to say. This chapter has twice as many words as the previous one.**

 **You're welcome.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Damage Control**

' _t Was an afternoon unlike any other. A storm was brewing in the east, its rainy harbingers silently gliding over the land. 't Was that_ _stormy afternoon, -_

 **Moony what are you doing?**

' _t Was that stormy afternoon, when the fires roared and the –_

 **No they didn't.**

 _Go away Padfoot._

 **You're ruining my story!**

 _It's_ my _story now Sirius, so I can do with it what I want. And I happen to like a bit of artistic licence, so you're going to have to deal with the fact that there's a storm brewing and the fires are roaring. That, or you can just sod off and let me write my story in peace. Which would be even better, come to think of it._

 **You know you love me, Lupin. No need to be so snappish. That time of the month again?**

 _Like I_ said: _'t was on this stormy afternoon -_

 **Moony, don't be daft.**

 _that the fair lady Evans and the valiant young Potter -_

 **Really?**

 _raised their voices in an argument that would redefine -_

 **Oh, look, did you see that? The fun of this story just flew out of the window. Just a little dot on the horizon…aaand it's gone.**

 _Fine. It was March, the sun was shining, we were trying to get Prongs and Lily together and everything was about to go gloriously, dramatically and completely wrong. Are you happy now?_

 **Very. Who's a good little werewolf then? It's you, yes! Uncle Padfoot will buy you a nice treat.**

 _You do realise that the only reason you're alive right now is because this is on parchment and you're not physically next to me?_

 **Oh please. Your pathetic insults will never hurt me.**

 _I will make you my bitch next full moon, Black._

 **Right-o. On with the story then?**

 **I believe we'd gotten as far as 'a stormy afternoon'. Inspired, I tell you. What happens next? I can't wait to hear more. Maybe something with a fire roaring? Sounds like it would fit the story, don't you think?**

 _I knew you'd come around._

* * *

There have been many moments in my life in which I seriously reconsidered my choice in friends. I remember the first time this happened like it was yesterday. It was first year, and I found myself reluctantly wandering through the corridors in the middle of the night with Peter, James and Sirius. When we heard footsteps, we jumped into the shadows and right there, I spent the most stressful five minutes of my life, waiting for Filch to finish patrolling in our corridor. When he was finally gone, I swore to the rest that I would never _ever_ break the rules again, if only for my own peace of mind. After that lofty statement Sirius just snorted and ruffled my hair, while James spoke the words I would hear many times over and over again in the years that followed: "Don't be stupid Moony, it's only half as much fun without breaking the rules." Which turned out to be true, but there were many moments in which I wondered how much simpler and safer my life would've been without the Marauders. But, alas, also lonely and boring.

I firmly reminded myself of that when I stood there on stairs above the First floor.

 _Lonely and boring, lonely and boring, lonely and boring._

The plan should've been easy: Sirius would lead James and Lily to the Entrance Hall, where they would find little Teddy Addison about to be bullied out of his Hogsmeade galleons by Crabbe and Goyle. James would probably dive in, save the day without hexing anyone and dazzle Lily with his responsibility. After that, she would hopefully, finally, say something about her feelings for James. If so, that would be our cue to drop the rose petal shower, signal the choir and set of the fireworks outside.

All in a day's work, you'd think.

Except several things went wrong at the same time. As I shot the Date Emergency #5 at James, I looked over to where Addison should be standing, but I could only _hear_ the sound of running feet quickly fade. _That cowardly little…we paid him a Galleon! He knew he would be safe!_ At the time, I saw Crabbe and Goyle arrive and look around for some First Year to intimidate. Of course, with no one there, their tiny little brains decided that is was time for dinner and they off they went.

"That's not good" I murmured to myself.

James and Lily had now reached the hall and were looking a bit lost.

"James, there's no one here." Lily observed, still clenching her wand quite firmly.

"I know." James was not so much looking down the corridors, but checking himself, probably realising something had changed since he climbed the stairs. His eyes narrowed and he was looking _really_ suspicious. I couldn't blame him.

Lily was now full blown glaring at him. "Do you know what's going on, Potter? Because if this is a prank, I swear to everything magical I'll –"

The poor girl never got to finish her sentence.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Peter coming our direction, with a red bomb in his hand. Pete having the bomb was according to plan. Pete having a _red_ bomb was not. With a sinking feeling I realised he must've grabbed to wrong one. Instead of the pink rose-petal-shower-concoction I made to other day, he must've grabbed Sirius' fireworks-screeching-chaos-bomb-experiment.

I jumped up, now panicking like crazy. "PETE STOP THAT'S NOT THE –"

But it was too late. With a big grin and a thumbs up, Pete threw the bomb high up in the air, right above James and Lily. Like in slow motion, I saw it rise to the ceiling, while the first words of 'Love Me Tender' started to echo through the hall.

And that's when it exploded in all its glory.

I had to hand it to Sirius, it was one of his better experiments. The bomb exploded with the sound of Zonko's complete fireworks shop, 300 screaming girls, all the glitter in the world and more flashing lights than anyone can withstand. It lasted for five whole minutes, all of which I spent crouched down on the stairs, fingers in my ears and my eyes closed. When it finally, _finally_ stopped, I straightened out, dusted my clothes off and looked around for any survivors.

The hall was a mess. Smoke and glitter still swirled everywhere, with in the middle the coughing shapes of James and Lily. I looked the other way and saw two piles of dust start to move around. Sirius and Peter, I hoped. I knew that there were several things that needed to be fixed, but the most important thing was probably…

"POTTER!"

Oh dear.

Lily was storming towards a completely flabbergasted James, eyes blazing and her red hair waving around her head like a lion's mane.

"YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULDN'T! YOU'RE HEADBOY FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!" Lily was yelling at James, but suddenly all her anger left her. I was close enough to see that there were tears welling up in her eyes, but it seemed that she willed them away. "You _promised_ me" she whispered and after that she ran away.

"Lily!" James half ran after her, but spun around to face me. "I don't know _what_ Sirius thought he was doing, but I hope he's happy now." And with that said, he ran away as well.

A hand fell on my shoulder and I turned around to see Sirius and Peter, completely covered in glitters, grinning like idiots.

"Moony, old chap, I have not enjoyed that much chaos since that time we dared Pete to nick a pair of knickers from the girls dorm room." Sirius said, clearly enjoying himself immensely. "I've got to say, now that I saw it happen in real life, I do not understand why we voted for those rose petals over my creation in the first place."

"I should've grabbed the pink one Remus, I'm sorry. I was in such a hurry and didn't stop to think that Padfoot's hellish bomb was lying there as well." Peter said, looking very guilty.

"Oi, be nice to my baby! It saved the day after all, Wormy." Sirius looked mighty pleased with himself.

 _No matter how long I will roam this earth, I will never understand the workings of Sirius Black's mind._

"Padfoot, what are you talking about? Unless, of course, by 'saved the day' you mean 'the cause of a total disaster, which ended in Lily screaming at James, and James out for the blood of the guilty party?"

That wiped the smirk of Sirius face. "Prongs is out for blood? Because some things exploded a bit? He likes exploding things!" He looked mad, but I knew he was hiding his anxiety.

"Not when Lily is involved, Pads." I reminded him. "Because Lily is not the biggest fan of exploding things."

"But, but, the plan was perfect! It wasn't meant to get him into trouble with Evans!" He looked at me with wide pleading eyes and it wasn't for the first time that I was awed at the resemblance between Sirius and his Animagus.

"No it wasn't, but it did, so we have to figure out what we're going to do."

That snapped Sirius out of puppy-mode and back into general-mode.

"Right. Men, huddle! We need to do some hefty damage control, focusing on three main problems: calming down Evans, making sure Prongs doesn't murder us in our beds tonight, and cleaning up this mess to avoid detention."

"Huh? Since when do we care about detention?" Pete voiced what I was thinking as well.

"Since today. Because the Head students oversee and file those ruddy things and I have a gut feeling neither of them is happy with us right now, which will result in a month's detention instead of an evening." Sirius' explained, grinning again.

"I volunteer for that one." Wormtail said quickly. "I'm not the best person to deal with either Prongs or Evans when they're like this. Best left to you two. Besides, I feel a bit guilty about taking the wrong bomb."

"Good man Wormtail." Sirius now focused his attention on me, while he whipped out the Map. "So, - _I solemnly swear I am up to no good -_ Moony dearest, the Map tells me Evans is hiding in the library and Prongs is sulking in the common room. What's it going to be? Prongs or Evans? Beauty or the Beast? Siren or Stag? _Mischief Managed._ "

"Maybe you should flip for it?" Peter suggested, already searching for a coin.

"No, no, wait." I interrupted, massaging my temples with my fingers. "Let's be rational about this."

I saw Sirius roll his eyes dramatically – and unnecessarily. I ignored it.

"Normally, I would suggest that I go talk to Lily and that you talk to James. Mostly because you and Lily can only stand each other about fifty percent of the time. And also because you and James have this creepy telepathic understanding of each other. But Lily means everything to him, Padfoot, we all know that and your plan only made it worse. It might be best if I go talk to James."

The stubborn frown on Sirius' face did not promise a lot of good things. "Or he should just stop being a pathetic sap. I could just tell him that." Upon my disapproving look, he held his hands up in defence. "Alright already, you may be on to something. You go and calm Prongs down, oh master of rationality. Means I can bother him again afterwards. I shall go talk to Evans in the meantime. I've got a few things to say to her, now that I think about it. Who does she think she is, yelling at our Prongsie like that?"

"The love of his life, apparently." Peter snickered.

"Yeah, well. She still doesn't need to scream like a banshee over some fireworks. Uptight screw, that's what she is." Sirius turned to go, but I grabbed hold of his shoulder.

"Pads, _please_ remember to walk a mile in her shoes before you judge?"

He met my eyes in a clash of wills. After a few moments he nodded shortly and stalked off in the direction of the library.

"Well, I guess it's up to me to find James then." I squared my shoulders.

"Good luck mate" Peter said, while he surveyed the mess all around us. "I'll take care of this."

"Good luck to you as well Pete. Oh and I think we scared our choir away, it might be good to find them and reassure them the world hasn't ended."

"Yet" Peter added darkly. "It might happen any moment, now that Padfoot is talking with Evans."

"Fair point. I'll hurry my own chat along, so I can intervene if necessary."

"Yes, that is probably best."

And with that agreement we both went our ways. Pete to find our choir, and me to find a brooding James Potter.

* * *

I found James in front of the fire, with his back against one of the armchairs. Of course, I'd known he would be there, courtesy of the Map. He did not look like a happy camper, glaring at the fire like it had personally offended him. I knew that James sometimes preferred to be left alone when he was in this kind of mood, so I approached carefully.

"Permission to come aboard?"

He didn't react for a moment, but then he looked up and smiled wryly.

"Permission granted."

I sat down next to him and crossed my legs.

"So" I started lightly "how do you want to do this? Shall I start with grovelling and tell you how excessively sorry we are, that we meant well and that this was the last time Pete and I ever listened to Sirius? Or do you want to vent first?"

That actually got a chuckle out of him.

"Because I understand, you know." I continued. "I understand you hate us right now, especially since you and Lily were getting along so well. But I cannot stress enough that we did it with the best intentions. We really think you have a chance with her, so we wanted to help things along a bit."

"Even though I told you lot specifically, many times, to STAY OUT OF IT?!" James exploded suddenly.

 _Alright, there we go. He's venting, venting's good. If he's using loud words now, he probably won't use his fists on Sirius later._

"You know, I actually reminded him of that tiny little detail, but you know how Sirius is when he's got his mind set to something. Still, in hindsight: I should've stopped him. Or even better: I should've made sure Pete had grabbed the rose petal shower instead of Sirius latest experiment."

"Ah yes. I was wondering what that was." James sighed. "Dammit Moony, we were getting along so well. I was happy just being her friend, you know."

"Were you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. James quickly glanced in my direction and the answer was written on his face.

"No." He admitted. "No, of course not. I've been spending more time with her than ever and I realised she's even kinder, sharper, funnier and smarter than I thought from a distance."

"So you still got it bad, no surprise there. The question now is of course: what are you going to do? Wallow in your misery? Or find your lady and set things straight? Because you're not to blame this time."

"No, but will she believe me? I don't exactly have the best record."

"Well, hopefully Sirius will have convinced her by now." I told him and was rewarded with a surprised look.

" _Padfoot_ is talking to Lily? Is that wise?"

"Doubtful. But trust me when I say that it was the best course of action."

Naturally, as if on cue, the portrait burst open and Sirius came storming in. He looked flustered, his usual careful styled hair was a mess and he had all sorts of cuts and scrapes on his face and hands.

"Sirius?" I asked, standing up. "What happened with –"

"She's mad, _mad_ I tell you!" He interrupted, flopping down in the vacant arm chair. "I'm telling you lads, the bird is a nut case. I said it before and I will say it again: I do not understand why you bother, mate."

I groaned internally. Leave it to Sirius to completely destroy any kind of progress I just made with James.

"Very funny Black, because you'd actually know that if you _listened to what I said_ for once in your self-centered life!"

James was standing now, looming over Sirius, who was still slumped in the armchair, looking every bit like a bored nobleman.

"I think it is time for me to go." I said, before Sirius could reply something even more obnoxious. "I'll leave you two to it. Please try not to break anything."

Neither one reacted, glaring at each other. I left the common room as quick as I could.

* * *

Wandering through the corridors, I was still doubting whether or not I should find Lily. From Sirius' reaction, I gathered their talk was not exactly a success. But could I make it any better?

My problem was solved for me, when I turned the corner and bumped into none other than the girl herself.

"Oh Lily, hi." I felt a bit awkward, trying to gauge her mood.

"Hello Remus" Lily answered. She didn't sound angry, or sad or…anything. Her face was carefully neutral, or maybe thoughtful. "You're the third Marauder I have to deal with today. I suppose they sent you as the proverbial white flag?"

"Something like that, yeah. Although I actually sent myself, just wanted to make sure you were okay."

She smiled a real genuine smile at that, one that reached her eyes.

"That very sweet of you. I'm okay now, I think."

"I have to tell you, I did not expect that." I told her, leaning against the wall behind me. "Looking at the state you left Sirius in, I kind of suspected I had to wear an armour."

Her laugh echoed through the - apart from us - empty corridor as she leaned against the wall as well.

"I got him good, didn't I?" She agreed, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Well, he deserved it, so I can't feel guilty."

"You shouldn't. He may complain a lot, but he's a big boy, he'll get over it." I reassured her. "So I take it Sirius did not do James any favours today?"

She was silent for a moment, as if lost in thought.

"You know, you might be wrong about that." She mused. "Black may be a stubborn idiot, but he can really cut through the crap sometimes."

"Er, what?" I couldn't help it, my jaw dropped. "Are you sure we're talking about the same person?"

"I think so." She was smiling again. "Nothing like arguing with a stubborn idiot to make you accept your feelings."

 _I don't know_ what _he said to her, but that must've been one hell of a talk._

"So, er, you have feelings then?" I prodded. This talk was _not_ going as I thought it would, but I figured I could make the most of it while it lasted.

"You too? What are you lot, the Spanish Inquisition?" She groaned.

I didn't say anything, just looked at her.

"Yes, _yes._ Of course I have feelings for James. And before you start," She warned, as she saw me opening my mouth "the reason why I haven't said anything, is because I was confused. Confused about my own feelings, the opposite of what I used to feel for him. On top of that, I was confused about his feelings towards me. I couldn't blame him if he was done with me, you see?"

"Even though I understand where you're coming from, James could never be done with you. I'm afraid that he's so _not_ done with you, and never will be, that even his idiot friends try to make it happen for him."

"Which only shows how lucky you lot are to have each other. You always have each other's back: in good or bad times, with good, but especially with _bad_ ideas." Her words had a wistful ring to it and if I read her correctly, she was referring to her lost friendship with Severus Snape.

"Considering the amount of times that last one has been necessary over the years, we didn't have much choice."

But we both knew I was playing it down for her sake.

"Funny, how a situation that looked like utter shite only an hour ago, can be so much better after two lovely chats." Lily said after a moment of silence, but went on to correct herself immediately "Or rather: one lovely chat and a brutally honest one."

"Between the two of us, Sirius and I are quite the balanced chatters. The doctor prescribes a portion of both of us to keep your sanity."

"I'll remember that." She winked, standing up straight again. "Thanks for everything Remus, but I'm a girl with a mission now, I've got to find James. Seems like everyone has been talking to everyone, except the two of us. Bit unfair, don't you think?"

And without waiting for an answer from me, she walked away, softly humming to herself as she went.

It wasn't until she had disappeared around the corner that I realised she'd been singing 'Love Me Tender'.

* * *

 **So what did you think? Tell meeeee! (Not an order, just so you know. I wouldn't dare.)**


	4. The Tenth Day

**A/N:** I'm sorry this took soo long! But there were exams and more deadlines and Christmas and...well. I do hope you all had a lovely Christmas, think of this chapter as a belated Christmas present.

So this chapter is told by James, lots of bromance and bickering like a married couple. Fun times.

Enjoy and let me know what you think! :)

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Tenth Day**

Soooo I can just use this empty space to talk about what I want?

Like, hypothetically, if I wanted to talk about, oh I don't know, Lily Evans, I could?

And you people would read it?

Jolly good.

Well, in case you don't know her, Lily Evans is simply the best girl ever. I could tell you all about how pretty she is (but not very well, 'cause her beauty makes me a bit tongue-tied sometimes), or how smart (best grades in our year and teachers pet all around), or how kind (no matter how busy her schedule, she always seems to be able to have time for helping others), but you know what I like best about her?

The fact that she does what's right.

No matter the issue, big or small, she'll always stand up for what's right, for those who have no voice. As someone who has stood on the receiving end of her justice, I know that you should be thanking your lucky stars if she's on your side. Looking back at fifth year, I think that's why Snape made my blood boil. He was so _not_ thanking his lucky stars. And he called her a…you know what.

Anyway, back to more pleasing topics than that greasy haired git: Lily Evans.

'Again?' you ask?

I can't help myself. She's the redheaded compass in my life, the sparkling green eyes in my dreams and the -

 _Prongs, I hate to interrupt, but I feel like I ought to warn you._

Moony, you're disturbing my flow. My vibe. My connection to my inner romantic.

 _Even though I'm convinced that even Mjölnir will not be able to break_ that _connection, -_

I'm sorry, what? What are you going on about? I swear, if this one of your Austen references again, I will hang myself.

 _Remember that book you borrowed with the stories about that Norse god Thor?_

Yes of course. How am I ever going to forget the chap that beats up trolls for a living with a magic hammer? Totally bad ass, that guy. What was that hammer called again? Something complicated, like mul-jier? Jal-znier? I can't remember.

 _Mjölnir._

A-ha, now I see. I'm glad you think that highly of my inner romantic, Moony.

 _Well, it'd be hard not to. He's been around a lot the last few years._

Shut up. So what did you need to warn me about?

 _Ah yes. Well, Sirius, of course. He has the tendency to break in to –_

 **Bad form Moony, snitching on me. What would your mother say?**

Probably 'good job', if you ask me.

 **Well I wasn't asking you, was I?**

 **It's a good thing I'm here, because Moony has absolutely ruined the last chapter. If you let me take over, we can still get this show back on the road.**

Ruined? I quite enjoyed it actually, especially the part where he threatened you.

 _Well I, for one, am glad to see you've developed such an excellent sense of justice, Prongs._

Lily must be rubbing off on me.

 **You wish she was.**

 _Down boy._

Good man Moony, he needs a short leash sometimes.

 **I hate you both.**

What's that I hear? The cranky yet wistful tones of my _former_ best man?

 **Potter, you are** _ **so**_ **getting ahead of business it's not even funny anymore.**

* * *

Nine days out of ten, Sirius Black is my best mate in the world.  
Nine days out of ten, we agree on everything.  
Nine days out of ten, we don't need words to understand each other.

On the proverbial tenth day, I want to beat the crap out of him.

Today was the tenth day.

"She's mad, mad I tell you!" Sirius said, flopping down in the vacant arm chair. "I'm telling you lads, the bird is a nut case. I said it before and I will say it again: I do not understand why you bother, mate."

"Very funny Black, because you'd actually know that if you listened to what I said for once in your self-centered life!"

I vaguely registered Remus leaving, murmuring something about breaking things, but I was too busy glaring at Sirius to pay attention.

"Oh go cry about it, you big baby" Sirius scoffed, "if I actually listened to what you said about Evans _all the time,_ I'd never have time for anything else."

The subject 'Lily Evans' was the one thing where Sirius and I didn't see eye to eye. Like he said, he never understood why I bothered, whilst he irritated me to death by being such a git about the whole thing.

"Alright, get up." I told him, rolling my shoulders and cracking my neck.

"What?"

"I said, 'get up'." I repeated, raising an eyebrow. He looked mildly surprised, probably by my lack of reaction at his obvious goading.

"And why would I do that? I'm quite comfortable like this." He supported his claim by draping his legs over one of the armrests.

"I going to punch you, that's why." I informed him "Which way do you want your nose to go, left or right? I'm thinking left myself, because I did right the last time. But left is my better hand, which will make you nose go right. Choices, choices."

"Getting straight to the point today, aren't we? And here I thought we'd have to do our usual song and dance." Sirius said, slowly rising from his chair.

"Well, it saves time. You are goading me on purpose because you secretly feel guilty about what happened, but you suck at apologizing. So your usual tactic is triggering a fight, after which I usually feel better and forget about it."

"And you realise it's working, which aggravates you even more, because you always feel like you need to be the bigger person. Except this is about Evans, and defending her is what you do, even against me." Sirius retorted. "Especially against me."

And there it was, our stalemate.

It happened every single time Sirius and I argued. We knew each other too well, so this was usually the point where we stared at each other until one of us gave in or threw the first punch.

Sirius was right when he said I usually tried to be the better person.

The one thing he hadn't considered, of course, was the fact that this was the Tenth Day.

Without a warning, I punched him in his stupid face. I heard something break, which was like music to my ears.

" _Fuck"_ hissed Sirius, "What the _hell,_ Prongs!"

I expected – wanted - him to retaliate any moment, so I was watching him like a hawk. You can imagine my surprise when he did nothing of the sort, but just blinked his eyes a few times, before focusing on me again.

"Feeling better now?" he asked drily.

I grinned at him, unable to help it. He looked ridiculous, with his nose all red and swollen. "Well, now that you mention it, I feel much better suddenly."

"Glad I could offer my nose as a scapegoat for your chagrin. Oh wait, I didn't offer. You just abused my poor nose like that." Sirius grumbled, sinking down in the armchair again. "You better un-break it then, can't go walking around with a broken nose."

"You _deserve_ a broken nose. People tend to get a bit ornery when someone tries to make sure he dies alone. And not just someone, no, his _best mate._ Treachery, that's what it is."

"Oi, knock it off with the drama!" Sirius protested loudly, but a bit of guilt flashed across his face at the same time. "C'mon Prongs, you know that I wasn't trying to sabotage anything. I was trying to help you for Merlin's sake. Wasn't Moony convincing you of that just before I arrived? If not, I'm firing him immediately."

"Firing him from what, exactly?"

"Don't act like you don't know Potter. As per our decree of November 1972, we hired Remus John Lupin to fix the problems _we have created, are creating as we speak,_ "

" – _and will create in the years to come_." I finished. "Of course I remember that. Bloody useful, our Moony. And 'till you came barging in, he was doing a nifty job of saving your pathetic arse."

"Yeah yeah, I'll make sure to grovel properly next time I see him."

"You really don't do guilt, do you Padfoot?" I asked wryly.

"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to, _know_ I don't do guilt. Waste of my time, really." Sirius scoffed, with a flick of his hair.

"Right." Suddenly, I was done. Even though my urge to hit Sirius had gone, I was still a bit frustrated with him and the whole meddling thing. I wanted to find Lily and see if she still wanted to talk to me. Today had turned to be a rather shitty day, but I hoped I could still salvage some of it.

I stood and turned to go, but Sirius spoke suddenly.

"I tried to convince her you had nothing to do with it. I'm still not sure if she believed me, but there's one thing I _am_ sure of: she likes you, Prongs."

I turned around so he could see my disbelief. He told me something like this before, but I had a hard time believing it. And after all these years, I knew better than to hope. I'd done that before and it never helped me in any way.

"Padfoot, I –"

Sirius waved his hand at me like I was a pesky bug.

"Don't you _Padfoot_ me in that tone of voice. I know you get off on playing the martyr in this whole debacle, but trust me. She wouldn't have argued with me like she did if she didn't like you even a smidge. And, you know, as far as short-tempered, straight-laced birds go, she's not that bad."

 _For all of you who don't speak Sirius as well as I do: the idiot just said he approves more of Lily than he wants to admit._

I knew this was as close to an apology as I was going to get from him, so joking was the only way to go to prevent this conversation from taking an awkward turn.

"Oh my God, dad, you're giving me your blessing?!" I squealed.

He rolled his eyes. "Go find your woman, deer boy."

"Who are you calling _deer boy_ with that red nose, Rudolph?"

I was climbing through the portrait, when I could hear him yell one last thing.

"Make it a good shag, yeah? Otherwise I've been telling that girl nothing but lies!"

I flipped him the bird without looking back.

* * *

 **Next one is the last chapter! Time for some romance ('cause that's what the label says). ;)**


	5. Hooray For Avis

**A/N:** Last chapter, yay!

So I know I've been shuffling around in the chapter introductions with who's who, so to be on the safe side:  
Lily's normal, James is **_bold and italics_** , Sirius is **bold** and Remus is _italics._

I've had so much fun writing this story and I sincerely hope that you'll have as much fun reading it. Big thank you to everyone that reviewed, followed or favourited! And I'd love to hear whay you think of the ending.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Hooray for Avis**

 _ **My name is Lily Evans and I'm hopelessly in love with Gryffindor's talented, shockingly handsome Quidditch Captain: James Potter. Yet how he remains so humble, is one of humanity's greatest mysteries. Just thinking about him makes my knees weak and it is my fervent wish to be the mother of his babies. And he will let me, because I'm completely worthy of such a man, being clever and so pretty it makes me, er boys, speechless. Furthermore, I –**_

Potter, you're usurping mywriting space with your lies.

 _ **I wouldn't call it lies, Evans.  
'Alternative imagination of the truth', maybe.  
'My optimistic spin on what I think is going on in your head', even better.**_

You know, that last one might've actually worked if I hadn't known you're trying to save yourself from my imminent wrath.

 _ **Dammit, I was so close.**_

Don't flatter yourself.

Now shoo, this is my bit. You've had yours.

 _ **Tempting, but no can do I'm afraid. I can't let our dear readers suffer from the tediousness that will swallow this story without my witty quips.**_

Are you insinuating I'm _boring_?

… _ **No.**_

You hesitated.

 _ **I most certainly did not. And if I did, it was because the idea that I would find you boring is simply appalling.**_

Nice save.

It's shame, but I'll get you on something else. It probably won't take too long before you say something even _your_ quick tongue can't talk you out of.

 _ **A-ha. So you've been thinking about my tongue.**_

…No. Tongues are gross.

 _ **You obviously have never had the pleasure of duelling with mine. We can remedy that very easily, you know.**_

 _ **(And because I'm such a nice guy, I won't point out that you hesitated as well.)**_

Oh Merlin, James.

 _ **You'll be saying that again in a few months' time, but for an entirely different r –**_

 _Alright, I'm going to stop you right there._

Thank you Remus, even though I could've handled him myself.

 _I know that. But there are some things a lady shouldn't have to deal with._

At least one of you can still call himself a gentleman.

 **Gentleman schmentleman. I thought it was an excellent joke, old chap.**

 _ **Much obliged, Padfoot. I can always count on you.**_

Well, colour me shocked. Tweedledee and Tweedledum are agreeing on something.

 **Watch it with the sarcasm Evans, it doesn't become you.**

I think I'll be the judge of that.

And with that said, can you all just bugger off? You're _still_ stealing the limelight.

 **But the limelight loves us, it needs us. It even has dirty dreams about us, it's that bad.**

 _ **Yeah, it's completely out of our hands Evans. You should be happy we're sharing Limy's love with you.**_

You did not just name the limelight 'Limy'. Please tell me that did not just happen.

 **It did. And Limy's hurt you're not acknowledging her as a person, by the way.**

You're both insane.

 _That is true. So I will use this moment for educational purposes and give a more detailed explanation about the Austen inspired poem I wrote the other day. You see -_

 _ **Going.**_

 **Going.**

 _Gone._

They're really very predictable in a way, aren't they?

 _You have no idea. The floor is yours, Lily._

You are an angel amongst devils, Remus Lupin.

 _It's my burden to bear._

…

Alone, at last. Now's my chance to write about my side of things, without interference. And not a superficial observation, no. What this story's been missing all along is an in-depth analysation of the characters and their emotions.

…

Dear Merlin, I even sound boring to myself.

…

James?

 _ **Yes, Lily?**_

I knew you didn't leave.

 _ **Course not. I'd never leave you.**_

 _ **Er – that is. You know. In a writing crisis like this one.**_

Hm-hm.

 _ **I mean, you're obviously clueless without me.**_

Clearly.

 _ **Are you mocking me?**_

I'd never do such a thing. I'm building a stage for your witty quips, as to safe this story from horrid tediousness.

 _ **Nice save.**_

Tell Limy Lily says 'hi'.

* * *

 _I was hiding in the library when he found me. Not the most Gryffindor worthy thing to do, but all things considered, I thought it would be the safest place to hide from the Marauders._

 _I was wrong._

" _Evans, I've got a bone to pick with you."_

 _I jumped, expecting to hear James' voice. But instead, I found Sirius Black towering over me._

" _Black, will you be quiet? We're in the library!" I hissed back at him. I could already feel Madam Pince's reprimanding stare in my neck. Being the only resident student who hadn't been told off by the strict librarian, I wasn't about to let my perfect record get trampled on by this caveman._ " _And go away while you're at it, I don't want to talk to you."_

 _I don't know why I thought he would listen to me._

" _Tough luck Evans, because this is happening."_

 _Without saying another word he grabbed my arm and walked through the endless rows of books, until we were hidden from everyone's view. I quickly cast a Silencing Charm around the two of us, knowing he could probably care less about who could hear us._

" _You know this is practically kidnapping, Black. Never thought you would attack innocent girls in the library." I scoffed._

" _In all fairness, you're the first one to protest." He shot a quick grin my way, and for a moment I could see why James kept him around. The moment didn't last long. Because the grin slid of his face, and suddenly he was all agitated again._

" _Listen, Evans, let's get this over with. I don't know what the hell your problem is, but we meant well this afternoon. I know you're not the biggest fan of pranks, but for the love of everything magical, I don't understand why you took off like that against Prongs. He didn't have anything to with it! And even if he did, it was just a bit of fireworks. What is the big deal?"_

 _On a rational level, I could understand where he was coming from.  
On an emotional level, he needed to shut the fuck up. _

" _First of all, don't you dare judge me, Black. You don't know me, and you sure as hell don't have the right to dictate what I can and cannot say to James."_

" _I can if you're treating him like some sort of pet!" he yelled, "I've never understood why he even bothered when you despised him. But now that you get along, I'd figured you would stop biting his head off over minor incidents!"_

" _He promised me!" I crossed my arms defensively, knowing our conservation was skirting along the edges of the highly personal._

" _Oh come on, it only exploded a bit. I know you don't like them Evans, but it wasn't New Year's Eve. No reason to – "_

" _SHUT UP!" The words burst out of me before I could help myself. He looked as startled as I felt, but he recovered quickly._

" _No I won't bloody shut up, Evans! You need someone to tell you the truth for once. You care for James, I know that. I_ saw _you." He pointed a finger at me accusingly and my heart leaped to throat._

" _I don't – "_

 _He interrupted immediately._

" _Yes you do, don't deny it. Because if you didn't, you wouldn't be so upset with him for breaking whatever promise he made you!"_

 _I opened my mouth to reply, but no words came out. Ever since I was attending Hogwarts, I'd learned very quickly to always have a reply. But for the first time in years, I did not know what to say._

 _Sirius Black and his not-so-subtle observations had stunned me into silence._

 _He must've figured that out as well, because he started smirking. Which thankfully unglued my tongue again._

" _You're right, you know." I told him quietly, unable to look him the eye. I wasn't exactly comfortable telling him what I was about to tell him, but I knew it had to be done. "The reason I hate fireworks is because it reminds me of the New Year's Eve my parents died. Death Eater attack. I can still hear the fireworks echoing in my head every single night I go to sleep."_

" _Merlin, Evans I – " Sirius started to say. He ran a hand through his hair, the guilt leaking from his stance._

" _It's fine" I interjected. "You didn't know. But James did, because I told him. And he promised me he wouldn't use fireworks anymore. But when that_ thing _exploded this afternoon, my first reaction was to blame him. Not because I didn't believe he would keep his promise, but because I didn't know how else to react. I know it wasn't fair, Sirius, but I was scared."_

 _Sirius was silent for a few seconds, then rolled his eyes to the heavens._

" _Ugh, I hate it when Moony's right. Walk a mile, ruddy know-it-all." He seemed to be talking to himself, temporarily forgetting I was still standing there as well. Which gave me a few seconds to blink away my tears. I wasn't about to cry in front of Sirius 'I-can't-deal-with-emotions' Black._

" _Look, Evans, I sorta get where you're coming from. And I'm not apologizing for meddling, because Merlin knows you needed it. But I_ am _sorry about the fireworks. If I'd known, I_ probably _would've chosen a different tactic."_

" _How considerate of you." I didn't even try to keep the sarcasm out of my voice._

" _I know, I'm a saint like that." He told me, grinning widely._

" _Watch it Black, I'm still considering punching you." But I couldn't keep the smile of my face completely._

" _Violent, are we? Well luckily for you, Prongs likes it rough, so there's a match made in heaven."_

" _You're disgusting." I informed him. But I knew I was blushing, so that didn't do any wonders for my credibility. "I don't even want to know how you know that."_

" _Oh c'mon Evans, you know I don't kiss and tell." He was leaning against the shelves next to me now, smirk in place again._

" _Because you're such a gentleman?"_

" _Exactly. And to protect your innocent soul, of course."_

 _I realised, not for the first time, how much James and his best mate were alike sometimes._

" _I'm glad you're looking out for him, Sirius." I told him, spectacularly changing the subject. "Even though you're as subtle as a sledgehammer."_

" _Ah well, I usually leave the subtlety to Moony." I could tell he was uncomfortable all of a sudden. "I'm shite with emotions."_

" _Really? I couldn't tell." Now I was my turn to smirk when he rolled his eyes._

" _Just talk to James sometime today, will you?" He ordered. "The idiot would give you the moon if you asked him for it, so the least you can do is stop him from beating himself up about all this."_

 _More blushing. Great._

" _I'll find him first," Sirius told me, straightening from his leaning, "to make sure he doesn't want to beat_ me _up about it." He looked quite happy for someone who might get punched. "And after that I'll tell him that you're secretly lusting after him so he'll be prepared. And if Quidditch is anything to go by, Prongs takes preparation very seriously. You'll thank me later on."_

 _His grin was positively evil now and I could feel my temper rising._

" _You've got be kid–"_

 _But the git started to walk away, hands folded behind his head._

" _Sirius, COME BACK HERE! I'LL – "_

" _Ta, Evans!"_

 _My wand was out before I knew it._

" _AVIS!"_

* * *

"Lily?"

Someone calling my name startled me from my musing. I was sitting in one of the windowsills, looking down on the lake and fields surrounding Hogwarts.

I wasn't surprised to see James standing there.

He was slowly approaching, like he wasn't quite sure how I would react to his presence. I couldn't blame him, because I wasn't quite sure myself.

"Of course you find me before I've gathered the courage to find you. Figures." I said in greeting.

He leaned against the wall with one shoulder, facing me.

"Courage? Why would _you_ need courage?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

I took a moment to look at him before I answered. Everything about him was so familiar, from his messy hair to his hazel eyes behind his ever-crooked glasses. From his lean build to his natural restlessness. From the snarky comments to the grin that usually accompanied them. It was all so familiar, but it still did a number on my system. I know what my faster beating heart and the nerves in my stomach were trying to tell me.

 _You fancy him, you fancy him, you fancy him, you fancy him like you wouldn't believe._

"Well," I said in answer to his question – professionally ignoring my inner turmoil – "let's face the facts. Between the two of us, _you're_ not the one that overreacted this afternoon."

"You didn't see me fighting with Sirius just now." He chuckled. "Which reminds me, what on earth did you get him with?"

"Avis" I told him, maybe the tiniest bit smug.

"That's my girl." James grinned at me, but it slid of his face as soon as he realised what he just said. "Er – I mean – not like that…."

"I know what you mean" I helped him out, my face as red as his.

"Lil –"

"No wait, let me say something first." Suddenly I _needed_ him to understand. "I don't want you to think that I thought you'd broken your promise. I trust you with that. It's just…I got scared, James. And you were the one closest. I'm sorry." I looked down on my hands, but then his hands were covering mine and he was standing in front of me.

"Look at me." He said softly. I looked up, almost too skittish to hold his gaze.

"Lil, you look like a deer in headlights. It's okay, don't worry about it. I'm happy to be there when you're overreacting if it means you'll trust me."

"I think the fireworks scrambled your brain, James. You cannot willingly be volunteering to deal with my temper." I joked, because I was temporarily unable to do anything else.

"Don't joke about this" He told me rather forcefully, now lacing my hands with his. "I'll take your temper any day, because it means I'll also get your laughter, your kindness and your ability to make me feel like I'm on top of the world."

For the second time that day I was searching for words. He was tracing patterns on my hands with his thumbs, which did absolutely nothing for my focus.

I knew the ball was now in my court. The whole day had been building up to this.

" _The idiot would give you the moon if you asked him for it!"_

" _James could never be done with you. I'm afraid that he's so not done with you, and never will be, that even his friends try to make it happen for him."_

" _I'm happy to be there if it means you'll trust me."_

The leap was now mine to take.

"Well, I'll deal with your meddling friends any day," I answered truthfully "because that I means I get your sense of adventure, your jokes and your ability to make me feel safe."

"That is probably the best thing I've heard in a while." My favourite grin was now out in all its glory.

"Better than that announcement we'd have a free afternoon because of staff meetings?" I asked.

He laughed at that. "Are you kidding me? You _are_ my free afternoon. Glorious, because you are so rare. An adventure, with the promise of endless possibilities."

There might be a woman walking this planet who could resist such a full frontal attack on the walls around her heart, but it sure as hell wasn't me.

"So" I started lightly "Now that we got the emotions part dealt with, don't you think it might be time to –"

He was kissing me before I could finish my sentence.

A small part of my brain appreciated his ability to read my line of thought, but it was a very tiny part. Because the rest of me was a bit busy.

There was no room for rational thoughts, there was only feelings and following my instinct. My hands buried themselves in his hair like they had a will of their own, while I kissed him back.

Our mouths fit as if they'd been made for each other. Lips moving together in an easy dance that started slowly, gliding together. He nibbled on my lower lip and started a surprisingly thorough exploration of my mouth. An involuntary groan escaped my throat, which set James off. He picked up the pace, and it was all I could do to keep up with him, while he was making a complete mess of my...everything.

He broke the kiss, grinning goofily. "This what you had in mind?"

I slid of the windowsill, feeling a bit wobbly. "No" I told him, trying to keep a straight face. "I'm quite disappointed actually."

James didn't say anything, but took one step closer to me. And another one. He rested his hands against the wall, cornering me between them. "Liar." His eyes flashed with dark amusement. "You're a liar, Lily Evans. And I'm going to prove it."

"Good luck with that" I told him, a lot braver than I felt.

Because he could make good on his promise, someone cleared his throat loudly somewhere behind us.

I had a feeling about who interrupted us, and leaned to the side past James to glare at the intruders. James glanced over his shoulder and groaned loudly.

"Bugger off, we're busy."

"We can see that." Remus commented drily, because of course it was him, with Sirius and Peter standing beside him.

They were also all sporting the smuggest smirks I'd ever seen.

"Victory is ours, gentlemen." Sirius proclaimed, clapping his friends on the back. "We came, we improvised and we conquered. No more doubting my hunches, for I am master of human emotion."

"Of course you are" Remus agreed, completely unbelievable. "How could we ever have mocked you?"

"Ungrateful, that's what you are." Sirius complained. He looked at me for back-up. "Evans, help me out here. You're practically bursting with gratefulness, aren't you?"

I grabbed my wand and pointed it at James' meddlesome mates. "Gratitude I got, patience I don't. I was rather enjoying myself before you arrived, so unless you want a repeat of this afternoon Sirius, I suggest you listen to James."

" _I suggest you listen to James"_ Sirius mimicked my words "Prongs, your girlfriend is already bossing me around. Do something!"

"I'm with her." James murmured, not even bothering to turn around.

I grinned winningly at Sirius over James' head. He narrowed his eyes at me, but I could see he was amused.

"Fine. You win this round Evans. Men, we need to regroup. C'mon."

And with that said, the three boys made themselves scarce.

"Thank Merlin, I thought they'd never leave."

"Three hoorays for Avis." James agreed and did just that, accompanying every hooray with a kiss against my neck.

"James" I remembered just in time I'd wanted to ask him something. "What would you do if I asked you for the moon?"

If he was surprised by my question, he hid it well.

"Go and get it probably. Not quite sure how, but I've always enjoyed a challenge."

"I hate it when Black is right." I sighed. Now James looked surprised, but I decided I was done talking. "Didn't you have something to prove?"

"Right."

I made a mental note to challenge him many more times in the future.

* * *

 **So all's well that ends well, right?**

 _It looks that way._

 **Merlin, we're good.**

 _You do realise that Prongs and Lily did most of the work themselves, right?_

 **Moony, can you for once in your life try not to be such a buzzkill?**

 _Sure. The moment you stop gloating about this._

 **You got me there, my furry friend.**

 _Please don't call me that._

 **I'll call you whatever I want, my clawed comrade.**

 _Maybe I should take a cue from Prongs and break your nose, my canine companion._

 **Touché.**


End file.
